Planter.



T. W. HICKS.

' PLANTER. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 15, 19M.

' PatentedJuneQB, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- UNITED strnrns ijnranr onnroa.

THOMAS W. HICKS, OF MINNEAPOLIS,

MACHINERY COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS,

MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO SCIENTIFIC FARMING MINNESOTA, AQOMMON LAW GOMPANY.

1 1,231,353. Original application filed August 21, 1916,

To all whom it may mam: 1

Be it known that l, 'lflUMAS W, llrens, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Minneapolis, in the count of l-lennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Planters, of which the following is a specification. This application is a divisional of my copending application entitled Tillers, filed August 21, 1916, Serial #llGLlS.

One object of my invention is to provide means for introducing seed into the earth in a horizontal plane at a predetermined depth in the finished seed-bed.

Another object of my invention is to providemeans for depositing fertilizer in a pulverized soil at a 'nredetermined rel ative position to the seed planted or to be planted therein.

' Another object of my invention is to provide means for packing the root section of the seed-bed after the seed have been planted and depositing on the seed-bed so packed a cation of the pulverized soil.

ith these and incidental objects in view,

the invention consists ofcertain novel features of construction and combinations of arts, the essential elements of which are hereinafter described with the reference to the drawingswhich accompany and form a part of this specification.

In thedrawings Itgure 1 is an end view i of a portion of. a common/type of plow, with a tillersuch as that disclosed in my co-pendin application #116148 applied thereto.

iig. 2 is a side elevationofa pOIt/101110f the same plow and Fig. 3 is an enlarged 1 tail of the adjustable rotor support. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the, plow, rotor, screen, seed and fertilizer attachments and Fig. 5gis aside elevation of'the same. Fig. 1 '61s a section taken on the line AA Fig. 4 and Fig. 7 is a side elevation of my preferred construction of rotor.

Figs. 8,9 and 10 are side elevatlons of modifications of the rotor. I

While the tiller is disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial #116148, some met 10d of pulverizing the soil is required in my. improved type of description of the operation of providplanter, and L.

of the tiller which lsone means Specification-.0! Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 191 '7.

Serial No, 116,148. Divided andthis application filed January, 1917. Serial No. 142,567.

ing such pulverized soil is incorporated in this specification.

In order to produce the best crop results, the soil should be worked to a certain depth in such a manner as to be finely pulverized and for most crops, the granules of the pol verized soil should be smaller at the bottom or root section of the completed bed and increase in size to the surface section of the bed; moreover, the subsoil or under surface from which the soil has been removed to be worked and upon which it is again deposited, should be punctured so as to give a more intimate relation between the root section. and the sub-soil.

The seed should be deposited in the prepared bed at a uniform depth and among granules of the proper size for the seed used. Fertilizer should be deposited at a uniform depth below or above the seed, or both, and when the seeds have been deposited and a small amount of pulverized dirt deposited thereover, the root section 75- should be packed the remainder of the soil then deposited on the packed root section. In. Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the ordinary plow frame and 2 is a gasolene engine carried thereon. Driven by the engme shaft 3 through the universal joint 4, splined shaft connection 5, universal joint 6 and driving shaft 7, the rotor shaft 8 may be driven either clock-wise or anti-clockwise through the engagement of the pinions 9 and 10 re spectively with the driving gear 8.

A gear shaft 11 controlling the sleeve 12 carrying the pinions 9 and 10 splined to the driving shaft 7 facilitates the reversal of the rotor shaft.

larried on the rotor shaft 8 is a plurality of prongs better shown in Fig. 3, and when the soil, turned by the plowshare 14 and mold board 15 is brought into contact with the prongs 13 which are driven at a comparatively high velocity, the soil is pulverized. and any roots or litter finely disinte grated and. sent upward and backward against the shield 16, from which it falls in a uniform shower either back to the surface of the sub-soilor onto the screen 25.

The rotor shaft is jonrnaled to the frame at 16' and 17 and this frame is supported .of the completed bed, and

35 front end and covered 55 passes over the 55 the root section which by an adjustable bracket comprising a flange connection 18, Fig. 3, an arm 19, a flange connection 20, an L shaped adjustable arm 21 and an adjustable bracket 22 bolted to the frame member 23 to allow the positioning of the rotor at any desired angle.

As heretofore stated it is ordinarily preferable to have the pulverized soil deposited back onto the sub-soil so the liner granules rest on the sub-soil and form a root section and the coarser granules deposited thereon in gradually increasing size to the surface I accomplish of rotor as shown this by utilizing the type in Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10.

The stratifying may be accomplished entirely by these rotors or a shield 24 may be employed to throw the pulverized soil from the rotor onto the forward end of the screen 2 25 Fig. 4 from which end it may be worked by any suitable means backwardlv along the screen, which it will be noted is of a line mesh toward the front end, and a coarse mesh toward the rear end, to allow various 25 sizes of pulverized soil to pass through it at different points along its length.

An eccentrically mounted pair of wheels 26 support the rear end of the screen and serve to assist in working the soil backwardly over the face of the screen b y agitating the screen as the earth.

,It is evident that small it is drawn forwardly over with this screen, soil of granules will be dropped from the by the larger size of granules as the screen is drawn forwardly.

A spiked roller 27 or a series of disks, if preferred, follow the rotor shaft and puncture the sub-soil before the pulverized soil is dropped back thereon so the finely pulverized soil will drop into the holes or slots made in the sub-soil and establish a more intimate relation between the sub-soil and 5 the root section of the seed bed.

A hopper 28 having dropping means 29 will deposit seed and as a portion of the finer worked soil has been dropped through the screen between the hopper :28 and the forward end of the screen this seed will be 0 ,evident the seed will be covered by a definite amount of pulverized soil-before the fertilizer is deposited, and the fertilizer will in turn be covered by a definite amount of soil.

weighed roller 31 follows and packs then receives the remainder of the pulverized soil on the packed root section and the finished seed bed may be packed by an additional weighing roller 32 if desired. v

It is evident that any desired number of hoppers for fertilizer may be used and these may be positioned in front of as well as hehind the seedingattachment.

It is also to be remembered that the screen ma v be removed from the frame and the stratilii-ation of the soil be accomplished by the rotors alone and the seeding hopper and the fertilizer hopper so positioned rearwardlv ol' the rotor that seed or fertilizer or both ma be deposited exactl v the same with respect to the worked soil as heretofore described, although I prefer to use a screenas l lind it more positive in positioning the various strata of soil.

While I ha ve. described my invention and illustrated it in several forms, I do not wish myself t be understood as confining myself to these particular constructions, as it is evident that my invention ma v be embodied in various wa vs and dill'erent constructions within the scope of the following claims.

-(flaiins:

1. In a planter, the combination of means for pulverizing soil, and means for introducing seed into the soil so pulverized as it is deposited back upon the sub-soil.

2. In a planter, the combination of means for lifting and pulverizing a certain amount of soil and means for introducing into the soil so lifted and pulverized. seed at adefinite distance from the sub-soil during the act of returning of the pulverized soil to the sub-soil.

In a planter the combination of means for lifting and p'ulverizing a portion of the soil, means for depositing seed therein during the act of returning the soil to the earth and means for introducing fertilizer into said soil during the act of its being returned to the sub-soil.

4. In a planter, the combination of means for lifting a portion of the soil, pulverizing the soil so lifted. means for depositing the 'soil so pulverized in strata having substantially uniform sized granules in each strata and means for introduclng seed into the soil so deposited at a predetermined depth from the surface of the finished field.

In a planter, the combination of means for lifting the soil so soil so pulverized in strata having substantially uniform sized granules in each strata and means for introducing seed into the soil so deposited at a predetermined'depth from the surface of the finished field.

6. In a planter, the combination of means for lifting and pulverizing a portion of the soil and depositing the soil so pulverized back onto the sub-soil, and means for intro- 2 ing the act of depositing the pulverized soil.

ducing seed into the soil'at'a 'pre-determined depth from the surface of the' finished field,

on top of a portion of the soil-so deposited but before the depositing of. the remainder of the pulverized soil. 7.; In a planter the combination of means for lifting, pulver'izing, and depositing back onto the subsoil a portion of the soil; means for introducin seed into, the soil as it is being deposite back onto the surface of the subsoil so that a portion of the pulverized soil will be below the seed and a portion above the seed.

8. In a planter, the combination of means for-lifting ul'verizing anddepositing back 1 onto the su -soil a portion of the soil, and

means for introducing fertilizer onto a por tion of the soil deposited," said first mentioned means covering the fertilizer with the remainder of the soil so deposited dur- 9. In a planter, the combination of means for-lifting and pulverizing a portion of the soil said means also depositing the pulverized soil onto the subsoil with part of the soil fallingbefore the remainder of the soil,

vmeans for introducing seed onto a portion of the soil-so deposited, the seed so deposited being covered by the soil deposited later, and

means for packln'g the seed bed so formed.

10. In a planter the combination of means for lifting, pulverizing and depositing back onto the subsoil a portion of the soil, said act of depositing extending over a certain in terval of time, means for introducing seed onto a portion of the soil so deposited durin said interval of time, the seed being covere by a further portion of the soil so de osited,

means for packing the seed bed so 0rmed,.

said act of depositing extending over a certain interval of time, means for introducing seed onto a portion of the soil so de-' posited forming a root section, means for packing the root section, the packed root section being covered with a portion of the soil, deposited during the remainder of said interval of time.

THOMAS W. HICKS. 

